People mop the floor at the Angel Centre retail centre in Tonbridge in south-east England, on December 27, 2013, following recent floods. / Ben Stansall, AFP/Getty Images

by Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY

by Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY

LONDON - Areas of Britain on Friday were hit by severe flooding and what Environment Secretary Owen Paterson called "exceptional weather" that may last through the weekend.

At one point the Environment Agency issued nearly two dozen severe flood warnings - subsequently dropped to eight - as strong winds and heavy rain combined with higher than normal tides to present what the agency says is a "danger to life" in parts of the southwest and Wales.

Hundreds of lower-level warnings were also in place across the United Kingdom, with the Devon and Cornwall coasts thought to be particularly at risk of severe flooding.

Residents of Belfast put sandbags near their homes and some neighborhoods prepared for evacuations as the wintry weather lashed low-lying areas and winds gusted up to 70 mph. Some people were reportedly trapped in their homes in Wales.

Later Friday, Paterson will chair a meeting of Cobra, the British government's emergencies committee.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter: "I'm ensuring that all is being done to help with the floods."

Britain has been racked by powerful storms in recent weeks resulting in flooded homes and lengthy power cuts up and down the country.

However, so far major transportation hubs such as Heathrow and Gatwick airports have not been affected.

The Environment Agency described the weather as some of the worst in five years, and it comes at a time when the government body has said it will cut about 1,500 jobs.

On Friday it urged Britons to "stay away from flood water. Six inches of fast flowing water can knock you off your feet."